I don't need a valid study to tell me this worked, Zander is sufficient proof it works. I think doctors get hung up on the studies and cannot see the proof in front of their faces. My old vet kept quoting studys. I said what about proof that it worked for one person so it might work for others.
---- Amani Oakley <[email protected]> wrote: > Hi Jane > > Our little Zander had his crisis when he was about 12 to 18 months old. He > was close to death and under an oxygen mask to help him breath because his > red cells and haematocrit were so critically low, he couldn’t move oxygen > around his body via his blood circulation. We first tried giving him blood > transfusions which helped with the immediate crisis, but didn’t “hold”. Two > units of blood only bumped his haematocrit up from 5 to 16, which was still > about half of the normal range. Over the subsequent weeks, as we tested his > blood, it was clear that his red cells and haematocrit continued to drop, > because red cells only have a life span of 120 days and then they die. His > retic count was basically zero, showing he wasn’t producing any of his own > red cells. > > We gave him a second blood transfusion when his haematocrit dropped back down > to 10 from 16. They had to stop after a single unit of blood, because Zander > had a reaction to the blood transfusion. They don’t cross-match as thoroughly > as they do with people, and we were told that this meant that any more blood > transfusions would probably kill him as he had developed a reaction. > > So with his haematocrit once again dropping from 16 down to 10, I knew it was > just a matter of time before it would drop down to dangerously low levels > again and nothing we had tried (Immunoregulin, interferon, LTCI) had worked. > I therefore did a hail Mary and rummaged through my drawers and found some > Winstrol meant for another cat years before, who had not survived long enough > for me to use it. Within 2-3 days (SERIOUSLY!), my husband and I noticed a > slight blush in Zander’s gums (where they had been ivory white before) and > when we took him in that week for testing, his haematocrit had gone up to 12. > Though we were very skeptical that it could possibly be the Winstrol, (so, so > simple, we thought it couldn’t be that the vets didn’t give us this), we kept > him on it and lo and behold, all his cell lines began a slow and steady climb > back into the normal ranges. It took 6-8 months to get him into the normal > range and I kept him on the Winstrol the whole time, but cut the dose from > the original 2 mg 2 times a day to 1 mg 2 times a day. Whenever I would try > to discontinue the Winstrol, there would be an immediate dip in his weekly > blood work, so there is no question in my mind that the Winstrol was keeping > his red cells in the normal range. > > After about 10 months, I did wean him off to give his body a break, and he > was doing phenomenally well. His appetite had immediately increased, right at > the outset of the Winstrol usage, and his activity level also increased. The > technician at the vet’s office who took his weekly bloodwork, told me that > after about 3 months, she could feel the difference as he was feeling very > solid and strong to her. > > Zander lived to about the age of 7. He died from a heart condition that > appears to have been caused by the initial FeLV infection, since I have since > heard others on this chatlines describe the same type of heart problem that > Zander ended up with. (No question I queried if it might have been the > Winstrol but as much as I can reassure myself, I believe that it wasn’t, both > from my research and from the fact that other people whose cats have FeLV > also describe unusual heart problems later in their lives.) In any event, > even if I had any doubt about the Winstrol, I also had no choice. There is no > question at all that Zander was going to die before he even turned two. The > vet specialist who saw Zander, told me that there was zero hope, since I > couldn’t keep giving him blood transfusions. When I called him a year later > to report on Zander’s condition, he was absolutely stunned that Zander was > still alive. > > I don’t think you need to do much blood testing with the Winstrol, but you > may want to, to convince yourself (or more likely, your vet) that it is > working. If my vet hadn’t tracked the blood results with me, I doubt she > would have believed that the Winstrol could do this. The only think I caution > about, and have indicated it many times on this chatline already, is that > Winstrol can shoot up your cat’s liver enzymes. This freaks out the vets who > insist on discontinuing the Winstrol. In Zander’s case, I obviously had to > ignore this. He was going to die without this medication, so being worried > about his liver was secondary to me, until he recovered. What I learned is > that the enzyme increase is transitory in nature and leaves no lasting effect > on the liver. Zander had no liver problems although he was on it for at least > 70% of the his life. I have also used it in other situations where there is > “no hope”, (nasal sarcoma in a 16 year old cat; FIP in a 6 month old kitten; > spinal damage in a kitten; torn knee ligament in Zander – who was supposed to > need surgery, but ended up not), and the Winstrol has either helped a lot or > at the very least, increased appetite, weight, etc. > > Amani > > From: Felvtalk [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Jane > Gannon > Sent: November-18-15 8:17 PM > To: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> > Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Lymph nodes > > Do I just keep him on this indefinetely? Do I have to keep having his blood > tested, how often? How long did this help your cat? Do you still have this > cat? > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Amani Oakley<mailto:[email protected]> > To: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> > Sent: Wednesday, November 18, 2015 10:38 AM > Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Lymph nodes > > Hi Jane > > Speak with your vet. He probably uses a compounding pharmacy for other types > of medication. This is where my vet gets Winstrol. Our vet can get the > Winstrol in 2 strengths: 2 mg and 1 mg tablets. They are hard to cut in half, > but for a long time, that is what I had to do since originally the > compounding pharmacy only had the 2 mg size tablets. The tablets are very > small and powdery when split, and dissolve very quickly with very little > moisture. Therefore, it made life a lot easier when the compounding pharmacy > started providing 1 mg sized tablets. If you can only get 2 mg tablets, you > also have the option of just giving them once a day, but I think it is better > to give 1 mg, 2 times a day. > > I have no idea where you are located or how big the compounding pharmacy is > that my vet uses, but it is called Chiron. (I’m in Ontario, Canada, and I > think this compounding pharmacy is located close to Guelph Ontario, near the > vet college there). > > Definitely start your cat on the Winstrol as soon as possible. I have also > found Winstrol helpful in a cat I highly suspected of having FIP. She is fine > now. > > Amani > > From: Felvtalk [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Jane > Gannon > Sent: November-17-15 11:54 AM > To: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> > Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Lymph nodes > > I have had the worst nightmare happen to me. I have a large cat family, I > used to work at a cat rescue organization and I also help any cats that show > up at my door. Last year one of my two outdoor cats started to loose weight. > He was 12 so I thought maybe kidney or hyperthyroid. He started having > anisocoria (one pupil lager than the other) and then I noticed 3 other cats > with the same thing. I researched online and found that it can happen to > FELV+ cats. So I took them all to the vet and found out they were positive. > I then took the rest of my cat family and found out I had a total of 10 > positives and 12 negatives. I vacinated the negatives and am letting them > all live together. Since that time I have lost 5. Two older ones actually > died from kidney disease, I had to euthanise my son's 2 two year olds cats, > one developed FIP and the other ended up getting neurological problems until > he could no longer walk. I euthanised one that was having difficulty > breathing and was no longer eating. So I searched for a group that was going > through the same thing so maybe I could learn about what can be done. > Grayson, who is positive, is now loosing weight. He is 12 so I hoped maybe > kidney or hyperthyroid so I had his blood tested and he does not have either. > He is starting to have the sylmptoms of FELV. His hematocrit is 19 and he > also has an abcess on his face that doesn't want to heal. He is acting like > his old self and eating well. I know my vet would not have a problem using > winstrol, he has always worked with me. Where would he get it from? Should > I start it now before he gets worse. _______________________________________________ Felvtalk mailing list [email protected] http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
